The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.
An infant bed (commonly referred to as a cot, crib, cradle or stock) is a small bed specifically for infants, generally up to 3 years old. Infant beds are typically used as beds for babies after it is no longer safe to leave them in bassinets, which tend to be less stable.
Infant beds are designed to restrict the baby to the bed. Side panels form an enclosure that is too high for a baby to climb and provide no footholds. Placing a baby into an infant bed can put strain on a caretaker's back. To reduce the strain on those operating an infant bed, infant beds can include a dropside (or front panel) which can be lowered to ease the process of putting the child into the bed, but can be raised again to restore the integrity of the enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,286 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,877 disclose elevated infant beds that permit a wheelchair bound caretaker to access infants in bed as their wheelchair passes beneath the mattress support. However, in practice, wheelchairs (and caretakers) have varying dimensions and the seated position of the wheelchair bound caretakers may vary and not be conducive to easy access to the baby in the bed.
Embodiments of the present invention provide an infant bed which facilitates access to a baby in the bed by a wheelchair bound caretaker, independent of the type of wheelchair used and the particular caretaker.